2016 SEASON UPDATE
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We're in the full swing of the new season! Weather's going to be hot from here on out and we have lots of traditional and new flavors that we'll bringing out this year.
We have already made some big changes this year. We replaced the blast hardening cabinet--it failed on us during the move to the new plant. The new one is a double door model that can harden a barrel of ice cream in under two hours! The other new kid on the block is "ET", a new 24Qt water-cooled batch freezer from Emery Thompson. It replaces a 20+ year old unit that had already seen better days by the time we got it. As good as the ice cream was from the older machine, we're really looking forward to what the new machine can do! As we make other changes, we'll post on Facebook so please check us out there! |
Upcoming EventsSATURDAYS: Spotsy Farmer's Market, 8-1pm, Rt 3/Gordon Road - Starting April 9th (weather permitting for us - 70F + sunny)
SUNDAYS: North Stafford Hospital Farmer's Market, 8-1pm, in the lower parking lot of the Stafford Hospital on Rt 1. Starting April 3 (weather permitting for us - 70F + sunny) OTHERS TO BE POSTED SOON! 
Our first video... created, directed, performed, and produced by Bean Productions of Columbia SC.
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Our Mission Put a smile on your face by making the best ice cream in Northern Virginia! As Mom puts it... "so good you'll have to go to church after eating it!"
Our Story.... The story of Abner Butterfield goes back nearly 40 years to monthly pilgrimages to Grandma's. She and Grandad lived some distance away so our family couldn't go all the time. It was a bit of a trip and as it happened, about halfway there was a small soft serve ice cream shop. For some reason riding in the back seat put my brother and I to sleep but we would always wake up just in time to stop off for ice cream...and it didn't matter that it was 10am either. That's how it started...
A few years ago, we began experimenting with "dip-style" ice cream to satisfy my own developing sweet tooth for creative home-style ice creams, one that even the premium ones, just couldn't satisfy. While we started with more traditional flavors...blueberry, peach, strawberry, banana walnut, and cookies and cream... our horizons quickly expanded to trying new flavors and combinations of flavors. Never having a shortage of taste testers has also meant a steady supply of well-wishing (and hoping) that we'd have a regular going concern at some point to help satisfy their sweet toothes as well. In 2011, we built a small plant in Stafford, Virginia, to produce ice cream for local wholesalers and retailers and to support our own retail operations at area farmers' markets, local school and club events, and corporate events. In 2012, the "king bee" made a trip to Penn State to attend their Ice Cream Short Course, the course that covers everything from cow to cone, and graduated 2d in the class. Returning home, we built the "Purple Cow"--a 27' ice cream shop on wheels that we now take to events... over 50 during the 2012 season! 2013 proved to be a fantastic year for us! We did 80+ events at three farmer's markets, plus corporate events, and a handful of private events including our first wedding event! The "king bee" went back to Penn State to audit their Ice Cream 101 course. In 2014, the king bee started out with another return trip to Penn State-this time as a presenter for the Ice Cream Short Course. Really kicked off the year right. Back home, we created some great new flavors including Chocolate Stripe Peanut Butter Chip, Lemon Cookies and Cream, Banana Pudding, and Banana Chocolate Chip Granola Crunch. Did 49 different flavors in total for the year. We also went 'green' by converting the truck refrigeration system to solar power. 2015 was a year of change. We moved and built a new plant--4 times bigger than our previous plant. Reviewed our flavor library and discovered we've done 105 flavors over our history--we have at least double that to go that's already in "the book". After finishing a slightly shortened season, we started planning in earnest for new equipment, updates to the Purple Cow and perhaps a few menu additions. We're looking forward to a great 2016 and hope you will share the love with us and enjoy our creations... and perhaps even help us create one or two....
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The Purple Cow
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Happy Boys!
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